


Among Others

by Homestuckjunkie



Category: Among Us (Video Game)
Genre: Aliens, Blood and Gore, Eventual Smut, F/M, Minor Character Death, Monsters, Original Character(s), Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shapeshifting, Slow Burn, Tentacles, Violence, Xenophilia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:07:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28200633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Homestuckjunkie/pseuds/Homestuckjunkie
Summary: It's a well known fact that humanity has the Imposters on the ropes; carriers had been ruthlessly hunted down, feeding grounds ravaged, warriors challenged, but no matter how close they get, the final push is always out of sight.Insert: Exterminators, or FEDs, as the running joke among higher ups. Trained and specialized units of crewmates sent off to do one thing: Dispose of Imposters on ships with known and reported activity. One such Exterminator has been given a curve ball of an order by the lead scientist of the Galactic Alliance himself-Capture, and bring back, a living specimen for experimentation.Will Lilith be able to follow her orders, or will she cave to the mysterious, albeit baffling, charm of the Imposter she's stuck with until landing?
Relationships: Crewmate/Impostor (Among Us), Cyan/White (Among Us), Orange/Pink (Among Us)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 52





	1. Roots

**Author's Note:**

> First thing's first! This fic is based on current known lore and world building from letitrainathousandflames Among Us fic, Within Us, with the exception of a few questions asked in order to see if this story could realistically fit in! If you haven't read their fic, YOU ARE MISSING OUT, straight literary candy. Details within this fic are subject to change, as I am a strict interpreter of lore related subjects; I prefer to keep my writings as accurate as possible. This CAN include characters, since I'm adding what would technically be major characters, so don't be surprised if someone straight up turns into Edward Cullen or something lmao

"300! It's good to see you're doing well; feels like it's been forever since we graduated from this place." Lilith fixed an appraising glance on to the other white crewmate approaching her, shifting uncomfortably as he stopped in front of her. Such nonchalant language when the graduation he was referencing happened inside of a building where they were taught to find, exterminate, and dispose. Even now, a new class was still in there, learning what limited knowledge they could to gain an edge on humanity's recent, and violently able to solve, problem. Imposters.

"Surprised you're not dead. You were always a bit loopy whenever someone said something was wrong with O2 or the Reactor." The shorter crewmate laughed her statement off, clapping a hand to her shoulder. Before he could say anything, she quickly brushed his hand off, her grimace hidden by the black visor over her face. The whole business was complicated, and she'd rather not break some rule that no one had bothered to read up about in the depths of the government handguide.

"You're still so mean! Man, I almost feel bad for the Imposters you got to stomp. Me and my friends are goin downtown for some chow, I heard that a new restaurant opened and their spaghetti kicks ass. Wanna come?" Lilith creased her brows, arms crossing over her chest. He knew. Everyone in their graduating class knew, especially after the incident where she got tangled in the facility's Imposter simulator. Out of everyone in the class, she was the only one to fail that spectacularly, shown by the fact she was strung upside down and their teacher went on a tangent explaining that if it was a real Imposter, she would've been pulled apart by the joints by now.

"I hate. Noodles." It felt like it had only happened yesterday whenever it was brought up; the blood rushing to her head, the instructor's gruff yells to the group, and worst of all: the rest of the class whispering, laughing, at her. The months after were relentless. Crossing paths with anyone present at the accident almost always guaranteed being called 'Noodler'. The only thing that stopped the others from calling her that was how she changed herself to fend off the teasing. Less hesitation in her actions, refusal to let others walk over her, and copious amounts of personal training to do her best to never make a mistake again. Anything, to never be laughed at again.

The crewmate in front of her squeaked out a 'right' and quickly walked off, bidding her a good evening. The young woman stared off into the direction he left before turning around and heading to the stairs leading to the exit shaft, sparing one last glance at the hidden facility that she had trained in for years. It wasn't as if she lived very far from it; each bullet train waiting at the entrance of the government site led straight to apartment buildings where Exterminators were kept until they were given a mission. As people of power do, anybody within the program was restricted from interaction with the public. They said it was for security reasons, both ways: Imposters don't figure out Exterminators exist through idle talk, and the people don't become bold and begin interfering with operations. The only people allowed to see your face were the ones living within your apartment block.

Stepping on to the train, Lilith looked down the empty seats and sighed. Looks like many of the others weren't as lucky as she and the other crewmate were.

"Apartment terminal A." Sitting down on the closest seat, she fiddled with a node on the side of her helmet until music filled the train box. Sliding down in the seat, she stared dully at the window parallel to her, watching as scenery flitted by. Skyscrapers, mostly, backed by the soft hues of a dazzling sunset. Earth-8 had its beauties, features boasting a certain charm, but it would never compare to her home. Earth-0, it felt like a disgrace putting a number after the original at all. She missed it all; the dew drops on grass during a brisk morning, the earthy smell drifting through the air after a hard rain, the heat of the concrete after sunbaking in the noon sunlight. This place was not home, and she hadn't found anyone to make it home. Maybe she didn't want to make it home, because if she did, she would forget about her first?

Her music gently pressed against her eardrums, easing the headache that was fighting to show itself. After a few more minutes, the train slowed to a stop and an electric bell sounded throughout the compartment, signaling her arrival. Walking out of the transport, Lilith leaned back to take in the building that had served as her dorm for years. It gleamed like an obelisk, glass windows reflecting the sky and revealing nothing of what lie inside. The train pulled out and began its movement back to the bunker, prompting her to get a move on into the complex. Passing through the front doors, she waved a quick greeting to the apartment secretary and curator of weapons, which was politely returned. The elevator opened with a click, and Lilith slid in, selecting the highest floor. The pressure of the elevation pushed down on her bones, making her muscles feel fuzzy. Hands down, it was one of her favorite experiences to feel boneless.

She strolled out of the elevator and to her room, stopping cold upon hearing noise on the other side.

"Ah! Right there, Michael!"

_You've got to be fucking kidding me._ With a fearsome scowl and tight grip on her unholstered gun, Lilith ripped the door open and fired a shot straight into the ass of her roommate's lover. The invading male howled in pain and rolled off the bottom bunk on to the floor, while her roommate stared at her in shock, her jaw slack as rage filled her face.

"3-" The gun now pointed threateningly at the perpetrator, stopping her from saying anything else. The man in the room was still hunched over, sucking in pained breaths from the sting of the pellet.

"Get. The FUCK. Out of my room." The command was all but growled, and the naked girl scrambled out of the bed and grabbed her partner, guiding him out before sending a glare behind her.

"Don't fucking glare at me. You should feel lucky I'm not in the mood to file a report; this alone violates 3 guidelines. And before you ask, exposure of face to someone outside of block, first name basis, and personal relation." Her roommate faltered mid retaliation before realizing Lilith was right. Grabbing her coat, she draped herself and her dalliance with it as they left the room.

A shaky breath escaped her lips as she trudged over to the swivel chair of her desk, placing her gun down on the table. Her nose twitched in disgust as the musk of her uninvited guest permeated the room. "Set temperature, 65°." Cold gusts of air swept through the room, carrying away the stench with it. Lilith took her head out of her hands. A quick check on the bed revealed everything she didn't want to see; fluids soaked into the fabric, as well as phantom body imprints. Her headache returned full force.

"They couldn't have done it in her actual bunk? I'm definitely burning those sheets." A ping from her computer caught her attention. Turning to stare at the screen, she noticed a new e-mail notification. Her brow raised in question. Nobody uses e-mail anymore, as antiquated as it was. Tapping the box, a video file loaded itself on to the screen. Lilith made a double take as the head scientist of the Galactic Alliance appeared on screen, his stern eyes leering at the camera.

"If you're roommate is present, I highly suggest removing them. What I'm about to say is for your eyes and ears only, Exterminator 300." Hurriedly closing the curtains and locking the door, she moved to sit in the seat once more. "As you may have already figured out, I am Elias Hartson, the scientist that designed your kill crew's weaponry to combat the Imposters. I've unfortunately run into a roadblock, however. Some recent reports are telling me that fire and radiation have become ineffective; I want to know how they evolved so quickly, and I believe you can help me with that." An icy feeling of anticipation swirled in her stomach, waiting for the renowned scientists next words.

"The rest of your people are far too eager to kill. I'm afraid their tenacity to accomplish their goal will deliver me a dead or damaged subject. I need an Imposter- alive- to run my experiments on. You've improved a great deal over the years, but the reason you're receiving this invitation is solely because of your atrocious scores from your Imposter simulation tasks 4 years back. You have no grudge with them, no reason to hate. You're only doing this because if you don't you won't have anywhere to stay at the end of the day. It makes you perfect for this job. I've already ordered your escort, a vessel will arrive in the morning to take you to your objective. It's a bit further than I'd like, but good subjects don't come easy." Waving his hand across the screen, the recording ended at the window closed. Lilith stared at the screen, shell shocked.

"They want me.. to catch? An Imposter." It sounded ridiculous. Preposterous, truly. Creatures with flaring tentacles and rows of razor teeth, able to fall into puddles of amorphous goo at a moments notice to slip through vents. As if it wasn't hard enough to dissuade the common crewmates from ejecting her, she had to worry about protecting an Imposter, of all damn things, from being airlocked along with herself. By all means, she had just been given an impossible mission. It wasn't like she could deny responsibility, though, especially since it was issued by a high ranking council member within the Galactic Alliance.

Considering her bed was totaled, she decided it was best to sleep in her chair. Her consciousness didn't seem to mind.

* * *

A steady beep woke Lilith up, and the first thing she noticed was the massive crick in her neck from the lack of support and added weight of her helmet from sleeping on the chair. Getting up, she was unsurprised as a symphony of cracks and pops ran up her legs and back, stretching her arms out to get rid of any other tensions. She blinked away the blur in her eyes, realization of what the morning brought settling in. The now deployed crewmate, already in her suit, marched out of the door and made her way to the platform. Just as Hartson said, a carrier vessel waited for take off.

In the small ship, there was a bed and a new weapon laying on the table next to it. As soon as she picked it up, a live feed transmission came in on the flat wall behind her.

"That's one of my newer experiments. It's essentially a taser- but for Imposters. I've been seeing what makes their muscles pinch, but the data may be diluted since they're just corpses. Be careful with it; there's enough power in that to kill 4 grown men."

Lilith stared at the scientist forlornly.

"Why me? You said it yourself, I don't like this job. I only do it for a roof over my head and food in my stomach." Even with an electronic barrier, she could feel his gaze piercing through her. It was calculated and thoughtful, as if he was reconsidering the wisdom in sending her to do this job.

"Numbers do not lie. Any others who would be available for this task are taking sick and vacation days, or are simply dead. You've got an 89% accuracy shot, which is impressive; I've seen how fast they move. As I see it, you are currently my best chance at seeing this through. You want to protect humanity, don't you?" She grit her teeth at his statement. The only reason people were invited to this organization was extensive history with the Imposters. Killed family, stolen homes, that kind of thing. The notion of being able to fight back put a fire in their belly. 

Not her. The whole thing felt wrong. She could almost see the lines in the next few years, people advocating for a species that no longer existed, calling corporate monsters when they had cheered their deaths on as well. Human greed had always stopped them from becoming more, and it would do so once again. Lilith had seen the state of the other Earths- shambles, full of toxic pollution and miserable people, no way to scratch your way out and better yourself. If she stayed with the organization long enough, she was promised citizenship; she figured once she got that she'd go from there and leave.

But it's been years, hundreds of missions, and thousands of gallons of blood on her hands with no sign of stopping.

"Fine. Yeah. I can take it from here, we all know leaving the atmosphere makes for bad connection." Dr. Hartson made a 'wait' motion with his hands, opening his mouth for an ending remark.

"To clarify, you're about to join a ship with 2 catalogued Imposters. I need the youngest one available. The crew started with 10, but predations and airlocking have gotten out of hand and there are only 4 of them left. Get my specimen by whatever means necessary. After all, you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs." With that, Lilith moved to lay down on the bed, the other human on screen giving her one last glance before cutting the feed. Despite the noise cancelling nature of the ship, she could still hear the faint roar of the engines. She continued to muse quietly as time passed.

_ How am I supposed to hide this gun from the other crewmates? How do I know which Imposter is younger? What do they even eat, can I keep one alive long enough to get it back to Earth-8? _

"Damn," she said sardonically, "this is gonna be fun."


	2. Two-Way Infatuation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilith joins her doomsday ship and proceeds to barely navigate social interaction, spending all of her time trying not to be sus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The amount of cursing I put into chapters varies extremely, and I don't revise my stories until I finish it or until I hit a writing block. Yes I wing all ofmystories-

After a few hours, the carrier vessel Lilith was on announced her arrival to the ship. Or at least, to get off of the current ship. A faulty kind of system, really. Exterminators were expected to float in space for a time, hopefully catching the eye of a crewmate on board the target ship, in order to avoid suspicion over previous whereabouts. Double checking her suit and wrapping the bigger gun in an inconspicuous blanket, she stepped out to the docking platform as the latches in the ship clicked out of lock. The door opened, and in an instant the vacuum of space pulled her out.

There was, quite literally, nothing like the vast emptiness of space; both in the notable lack of sound, and objects. Stars glittered across the wide expanse, and just to her right was the ship she was to board. Luckily, the crew seemed to be eating together in the Cafeteria. Adjusting to a proper position using her thrusters, she began frantically waving her arms to catch any kind of attention. One of the smaller crewmates, Pink, took immediate notice, pointing at her and rallying the crew to prepare and collect her. Soon after, a different crewmate came out to grab her: Cyan.

Usually, being 5'8", most crewmates would lock arms with her and bring her back to the hull of their ship. Quick to offer her arm, Lilith nearly drew on the possible human when he instead slipped his arm under her knees, as well as bringing an arm up to hold her shoulders. The fingers around her left shoulder and knee gripped her firmly, and distantly she noted that the contact was sending small waves of electricity over her skin. The biggest concern at the forefront of her mind was not that she was being bridal carried, oh no. It was over the fact that the "crewmate" pressing her against his chest was emitting dull heat in the void of space. 

Lilith jerked her head to face him. A stupid move, as someone who was an imposter among Impostors. All she got in return was the shine of a black visor reflecting her own. The thing carrying her was not a human.

* * *

Upon being accepted to the target ship, the crewmates corralled her to the cafeteria while Pink left to get her food. An excited buzz lit up the air, but there was also a subtle undertone of nervousness. She continued to clutch the wrapped gun to her chest.

"Now this is a surprise. I didn't think we'd find any other crewmates floating this far out in space. I'm Yellow, that's Orange, Cyan, and Pink is the one getting your food. How on Earth did you get out here?" There were always 3 recycled lines Exterminators could use whenever they didn't feel like cooking up a legitimate story: Framed by the Impostor, alone during a murder, or overruled by a panicked group. Lilith decided to make a mix of 2, hugging the hidden gun to trick them into thinking it was some sort of comfort item.

"The Impostor on my ship trapped me and another crewmate in Electrical, killed him then sprayed the blood on me like a goddamn sprinkler. He vented, and when the door opened my team found me with the body and sent me off." Cyan's visor turned downward before glancing at Yellow. Lilith did not miss this detail. Orange clasped a sympathetic hand to her shoulder, about to say something until Pink skipped in with a plate.

Of spaghetti.

Thankful for her helmet, Lilith allowed her jaw to clench tightly as the plate was set gently on the table in front of her.

"We have to get back to tasks soon, but you should really take it easy for now. We'll get you started tomorrow. Everyone already has pairs, so you'll be bunking by yourself. Hope you're alright with that!" Pink had her hands clasped in front of her in endearment, straying to Orange's side before grabbing one of his hands and leading him to the leftmost door of the Cafeteria. Strange. Didn't they know it was against regulations to have an open relationship? Lilith noted that must be why nobody had mentioned her tag number sitting above her right breast. Yellow stood up and silently left the room, heading towards the southern door of the Cafeteria. Her and Cyan shared a look before speaking to each other.

"I prefer eating alone."

"I could show you where you'll be settling when you finish!"

His voice was light, as well as smooth. Whether his tone was eager because he was excited for another crewmate on board or because he was about to get her alone, she couldn't tell. The hand he held open in welcome flinched back at her statement, his visor tilting ever so slightly. Lilith drummed her fingers over the table top slowly and waited for the creature's next move. Instead of the snide remark she'd expected, he laughed and placed a hand to rub at the back of his neck.

"You're not very nice, are you? You're probably killer with the tasks, too." He pauses. "Bad wording, forget I said that."

Lilith's brow furrowed. Either this Impostor could put method actors to shame or he was genuinely clueless and was so naive the others brushed off his suspicious behavior. She was more inclined to believe the former over the latter. She wondered why he continued to hover by the table after her clear attempt to shoo him. Killing her now would be too obvious, him and Yellow being the last entities seen with her.

"Right." The singular word was said staunchly, leaving no room for argument. Turning to her meal, Lilith cringed whole heartedly as she waited for the alien to leave the Cafeteria. The silence was nearly deafening, as if he couldn't grapple with the fact that he had just been given the cold shoulder. Or maybe, he was just trying to figure her out. The wild, fleeting thoughts reminded her once more of what exactly she was dealing with.

Hearing footsteps lose volume behind her, Lilith cautiously unlatched her helmet and placed it to the seat on her right. Picking up the plastic utensil left for her, she begrudgingly began to eat.

>>>Cyan

Amusing is what he'd say to describe the situation. The last crewmate that had been killed was White, and here comes another like a shiny new model, except she was a female. As if it would change the fate of the ship. Cyan already knew the other crewmates, to the extent where simply being in the same room as them was boring. This fresh meat would certainly give him something to relish.

She was definitely a piece of work; the slim compliance paired with the antisocial behavior could say a few things about her, all for opposing reasons. She genuinely didn't seem to care of the impression she left with the other crewmates, as long as she was allowed to stay if but for a moment. This nonchalance did not sit right with Cyan. Who was she to be so sure of such bold actions? And the blanket, terribly and obviously hiding something. Everything about her irked him, from the pin reading "300" to her cool and conducted demeanor. This wasn't just another human.

Quietly slipping into a vent, he rounded back to the Cafeteria and peered through the segments obscuring his view of the new arrival. The first, and most striking detail, was the snow white hair held in place by an innumerable amount of braids and pins. The unnatural color made him recoil in surprise and slight curiosity. He had yet to see her face since she was looking down at the table, bringing the food to her mouth one noodle at a time. He scoffed. She would never finish the meal eating it like that.

"Why are you watching that thing?" The rumbling tone jolted Cyan out of his observation, prompting him to turn Yellow with an annoyed hiss. The other Impostor was older than him by a large span; experienced with his mission, focused, and a blooded warrior to boot. He was quite surly, really. It bothered Cyan, reminding him of his rowdy littermates. His mai'na always said he was a few steps behind his siblings, much to his chagrin.

"Why else would I be watching her? Something's not right." Yellow shook his head in exasperation. The bickering pair quickly shut up as the new crewmate stood up, abandoning her meal in favor of looking right at the vent they hid in. Yellow backed off first, gesturing for Cyan to come with him. Deciding to be purposefully difficult, he stood his ground leaned in further to try and glimpse the new face. The closer she got, the higher his anticipation rose. Until, that is, Yellow gripped one of his limbs painfully.

Biting on to his own tongue to hide a yelp, Cyan turned to give Yellow a furious glare. Unthreatened by the younger Impostor, he glanced at the human's ever advancing form and jerked his head in a signal to get out of there. Despite being pulled slightly, Cyan planted himself and looked one last time. If her hair had thrown him, her eyes would most certainly baffle him.

He knew she couldn't see them. Not yet, at least, but as she got closer Cyan couldn't help but revel in the unusual color. Where he stared, ghostly pink irises stared back. The tap of her boots leaked into the vent, springing another question. Since when did humans have metal on their heels?

Yellow shook his head once more and departed as her form loomed over the vent, while Cyan moved backwards and out of sight. Both him and the human were deathly silent, each of them waiting for something. Being this close, Cyan realized her scent was trickling into the small space. Breathing in for an inquisitive taste, his eyes narrowed at the sharp smells hitting his nose. The only one he could differentiate was the sterile scent of ice; nearly odorless, yet still present as if she had been sitting inside of an icebox. The other fragrances wafting into the vent were a complete mystery, and if he was forced to describe it he would only be able to say if sweetness had a bite.

She finally stepped away and returned to her meal, picking it apart while staring at the vent. The crew never said anything about having an Impostor problem. Was it something he said? Slinking back through the vent into the hallway, Cyan continued to ponder what the new crewmate could possibly be hiding.

>>>White

Not even an hour on the ship and she was already being watched. Dragging a palm down her face, Lilith picked up her plate and carried it over to the trash chute leading to storage. Starting off towards admin, she quickly recognized the sound of someone struggling to swipe a card. The crewmate in question was Pink, who turned around and jumped in surprise when she walked in.

"White! I was just trying to put you in the ship database, but I've never been the best at the card swipe." Lilith could hear the smile in her voice and was slightly disappointed that such a bright person wouldn't be leaving this establishment alive. Taking the card from Pink's fingers delicately, she led it through the scanner smoothly. The machine chirped positively and Lilith pocketed the ID, looking at Pink.

"I usually get the card swipe right if I can time it with the first lyric of Beyond the Sea." Pink cocked her head.

"What's that?"

Lilith froze at first, thinking she was talking about the hidden gun but quickly realized she meant the  _ song _ . Shaking the tightness from her muscles, she reminded herself that this was not her time.

"It's a super old song. Not a lot of people know it, and it isn't produced anymore. I found it in the back of a cargo ship." 80% of that was a lie, but Pink didn't need to know her past. Instead of digging further, Pink just bounced on her heels for a moment before moving to go to her next task.

"Maybe you could show it to me sometime! I bet it's a wonderful song!" Watching the energetic woman leave, Lilith grabbed a spare tablet from the table and left to find her dorm. The gun was getting quite cumbersome to carry around. Finding the stairs to the bedrooms, she walked along the wall and stared at each door.

"Told you I could've shown you to your room." Without a sound, Cyan appears behind Lilith. Walking to the opposite direction of her, he gives a quick rap on the door to the left of the stairs.

"The room you're in front of is my and Yellow's quarters. You're neighbors with Pink and Orange, like us!" Approaching the alien with an air of indifference, Lilith gets the door to slide open to reveal the standard crewmate dorm room: two bunk beds on both sides of the room and a desk at the back.

Carefully placing the covered gun on to the top bed of the bunk she decided to sleep in, Lilith turns back around. The Impostor stands at the entrance in a polite stance, hands tucked behind his back.

"I can take it from here." Cyan remains at the door for a moment, observing the taller than average woman. Lilith almost snapped at him to leave until she realized it was the perfect time to get a rough demographic over the crew's age.

"If you were to label the crewmates on this ship young and old, what would you put to who?" Cyan seems to perk up at the fact that she had just spoken a full sentence to him instead of a one liner.

"Pink is definitely young, have you not seen her work around the ship? Orange is somewhere in the middle; he's got old man moments," Cyan's visor is tilted slightly, catching the light from the ceiling and reflecting it harshly. On his right hand, he holds fingers up with each crewmate he lists.

"Yellow is a geezer for sure. He is  _ never _ in a good mood, don't know why and I'm pretty sure he hates my guts." That was something Lilith had never expected to come out of his mouth. Every group of Impostors she had ever ran into worked together perfectly, like butter on toast. She also noted how chatty this one was. Impostors usually saved their voices for when it mattered.

"Call me biased if you want, but I'm still sexy  _ and  _ youthful. I've just had a lot of opportunities to learn." Now she was really at a loss for words. A creature that eats humans being a narcissist? Never. Either way, Lilith knew what she wanted to know now. Cyan would be the crown jewel of Hartson's experiments, and maybe when everything was said and done she'd finally get her god damned citizenship.

"Sorry if that was out of nowhere, it is a strange thing to ask. I look forward to working with you, Cyan." The door closed before the hunter could reply, and Lilith was finally alone with her thoughts. Shifting over to the desk, she dug through the drawers until her hand met a notebook. Placing the journal on top, she reached over to swipe a pencil from a jar sitting on the edge and switched her music on.

She spent the next few hours writing down notes, doodles, models, and everything in between. What stood out the most to her was the hatched drawing of an Impostor with its gaping maw amongst her more innocuous scribbles of flowers and birds. Lilith dropped her head on to the desk with a groan.

This thing was already in her head.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilith doing Crewmate things, along with an extravagant dance with Cyan; Yellow does some snooping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not proof read this, so if you see any mistakes please tell :>
> 
> A lot of it may also need italicized stuff, but I will get to that later lmaO, I write one post for my Tumblr and then one chapter for this interchangeably, so that's why updates are stretched a bit

The chime of a built in alarm sounded throughout the room, prompting Lilith to wake up. The gentle fluorescent lights washed over the room in a mock sunrise, sending a small sting into her eyes. Pressing the heel of her palms into her eyes, she swung her legs over the bed and breathed out a sigh. Even with all of the machinery, she could still hear Orange and Pink getting ready for the day.

A ping from her tablet drew her gaze, and next thing she knew she had 3 new tasks: upload data at Navigation, divert power to shields, and clear asteroids. Simple enough.

After slipping on her suit and pocketing the tablet, Lilith left the room and immediately made way for Navigation. Somewhere behind her, Pink and Orange bid her a good morning. Cyan and Yellow were nowhere to be found.

Ignoring every skitter and clicking noise while walking down the long hall, Lilith fiddled with the side of her helmet. Music thrummed quietly. She stifled a snort as E.T. played, a stupid grin on her face. If anyone back on Earth learned what aliens would be like when they actually met, this song would be absolutely moot.

Her firing hand clenched at the sound of wet matter sliding in one of the vents into Navigation. They had a bone to pick with her, didn’t they?

>>>Cyan

He had been following the human all morning. He wasn’t sure as to when she went to sleep; in fact, he heard her tinkering with something and the unfamiliar scrawl of writing in the wee hours of the morning. She couldn’t have gotten more than 4 hours of sleep, and Cyan knows humans are supposed to get at least double that amount of sleep. Maybe, he thought, he could use this opportunity to remove her from the picture. Then, Yellow would stop berating him for being worried about a Crewmate.

Crawling into the vent at Navigation, Cyan hesitated as he saw the new White stop at the entrance of the door. Her black visor absorbed all light, a single glare bouncing off of it from the lights in the ceiling. Curiously, her right hand was balled into a fist before being opened again and resting at her hip. With the thick and tense silence, bits of her music played out from the built in speakers.

_ Boy, you’re an alien _

_ Your touch so foreign _

_ It’s supernatural, extraterrestrial _

In all of his missions, never ONCE in his life had he ever heard a song like that, especially not with the lyrical subject. It confused him so much, in fact, he completely missed her entering the room and she was already leaving with her completed task. Hissing in slight frustration, he moved along to her next task area.

>>>Lilith

Back in weapons, she excitedly seated herself in the chair sitting before the joystick. By far, shooting asteroids was her favorite task whenever she was on Skeld ships.

Eyeing the vent ahead of her, she cautiously focused on the large green hologram in front of her. The asteroid field they were passing through was rather large; the rocks flew by on screen before shortly being destroyed, not a single one escaping Lilith’s polished reactions. The screen flashed in confirmation, clearing her to move to her final task.

Once again, a suspicious noise leaked from the vent. One of them was following her, no mistaking it now. What luck that she just had to go to Electrical next.

Passing through the Cafeteria, she eyed Yellow suspiciously as he sat down with a sandwich, returning her stare with no response. Did those things even get anything out of human food? With a shudder, she continued trekking down the halls and passed by Medbay, catching the eye of Pink.

“Oh, White! C’mere for a moment, if it’s all right.” Deciding to comply with her invitation, Lilith walked into the room with the only other 2 humans on the ship. In front of the couple was the sample task, the reagent ready for blood samples. A few of the vials already had drops of blood floating down to the bottom, the essence curving and falling gracefully. Two of them remained light blue, waiting for samples.

“We haven’t been able to find Cyan yet, and Yellow said he took samples yesterday so he’s fine. We wanted to save these ones for you, being a newcomer and all! Who knows what all that space drifting did to you.” Despite the helmet, anyone could feel Pink’s energy. Orange seemed to be a man of few words, preferring to speak up when necessary. Or maybe Lilith just made him uncomfortable.

Handing her a pin, Lilith pulled down the zipper over her navel by a few inches before pricking the smooth flesh of her stomach. Blood welled up in a perfect sphere, which was shortly wiped up by the pin and shook into their respective vials. Pressing another button, Orange sent the samples into the machine and a new timer appeared on the screen under it.

“How about we get some coffee while we wait, eh?” The two Crewmates looked to Lilith, finding each other’s hands once again. It was cute, Lilith realized with a new roiling feeling entering her stomach. At least if they couldn’t make it they’d die together.

“Sorry, but no. I have to divert power in Electrical before any more day time passes.” The couple freeze up at the reference to the room, full body shakes running through them. Lilith’s face fell as the picture of what happened on this ship fell into place. Pink was the first to volunteer going with her, followed by Orange with no hesitation.

“I’m going alone. There’s no reason to freak out, I’ll be fine; all I have to do is move a slider.” Both of the humans moved to argue, but she had already left the room. No way in hell was she going to let good, hard working astronauts get caught in a crossfire battle between an alien and a unit of something that shouldn’t even exist. 

>>>Cyan

The aromatic stench of her blood cloyed his senses as he sat in the vent of Medbay, causing him to involuntarily grind his teeth together. He had eaten humans that smelled sweet, but this was a new level; it was all he could smell, as if her flesh was already being torn apart by his tykh’sa and falling into his mouth. Why was the smell of her blood so strong?

The dissipating scent brought him back out of his thoughts, realizing once again that she was leaving the room. The other humans of the ship called for her uselessly before stopping in a moment of silence and begrudgingly going to the Cafeteria to get something to eat.

Quickly moving to Electrical, he waited patiently for the White Crewmate to arrive. He had to get her this time! 

Almost on cue, her quiet footsteps filled the room and she came into view. He watched her lift the panel, skimming over the labels before finding the Shields switch. One of his tentacles slid forward from the vent, approaching her ankle. If she didn’t notice him, this would be a fast and easy kill. Cyan salivated at the thought of her between his teeth, the same smell from earlier clouding his thoughts. That is, until, searing pain cut through the tip of his appendage.

Recoiling with extreme speed, he spilled from the vent and lurched forward in his half human disguise to see just what she had done.

Beneath her heel, his severed tykh’sa wriggled pathetically in phantom motions while the rest of it bled profusely where it had been cut. Thousands of thoughts raced through his head at the notion of a human being able to harm him just by stepping on him, and overall he would’ve refused to believe it if it hadn’t just happened. In front of him, the human now pointed a metal item- no, a gun- straight at his face.

“I wouldn’t move unless you fancy eating alien killing lead,  _ Cyan. _ ”

>>>Yellow

The idiot was undeniably watching the new arrival. He always had an unhealthy obsession with the blasted apes, and now it was slowing his mission down. Preposterous. Unacceptable. Disgusting. 

The humans sitting in the same Cafeteria spared him no attention as he sat up and threw out a large portion of the sandwich he had picked up, making his way to the dorms. If he really wanted to learn about her, he should’ve just gone into her room like the others. Maybe once he can prove that this is just some other Crewmate, Cyan would finally come to his senses and help him finish the job.

Coming up to the door, it automatically opened and revealed the bare walls of White’s quarters. Unlike Orange and Pink, her bed remained unmade, sheets spread out and the pillow nearly falling off of the bunk. On the left set of beds, the blanket she came onto the ship with rested with a noticeable hard edge at the top. Yellow’s tongues rippled in question; he hadn’t smelled or seen anything wrong with the blanket yesterday, but now that it was alone there was a faint trace of electricity and ozone.

Walking up to it, he lifted the corner to reveal the hidden item: a large gun, blue lights dimly glowing along the barrel and a cartridge the size of his fist resting at the back half. A gun. Memories of all the invasions played through his head, but not a single one he could see had humans wielding a gun such as this.

With a sinking realization, Yellow thought about everything Cyan had said previously. As much as it would damage his pride to admit it, this… threat, had to be addressed. There was no way for him to ignore it without risking his and Cyan’s life.

It was a foreign feeling. When was the last time he had felt threatened by a human? Was it back when his home was being attacked and terraformed by them as a pup? Or was it the emergency meeting where he was first airlocked? It shouldn’t have made a difference. Guns and the like stopped working on them a while ago; finding a suitable breeder was his species’ dilemma. Something about the gun, maybe the way it was built or some other odd end, waved many red flags.

Going to the desk at the center of the room, he began rummaging through the drawers with increasing alarm.

The air around him felt charged as his faux hands found a journal labeled Notes. Picking it up, he opened the cover hastily and in a single moment, his greatest fears came to fruition.

All over the pages, mission statements were written in summaries: casualties, Crewmate and Impostor, cohorts, ship types or planet names, a short description of eliminations, and at the bottom of each page save for a few was a green stamp emblazoned with the logo of the Galactic Space Alliance hovering just above another mysterious symbol. Even the margins were filled, small scribbles about certain Crewmates on the mission or general complaints about how much their job sucked. Towards the back of the journal, to Yellow’s immense distress, were detailed sketches of other Er’zets. Some were in their full disguise, while most were half revealed in an aggressive posture, a jagged maw splitting their body and tentacles splayed out. At the very last page, a single drawing took up the entirety of the page, annotations made with lines leading to certain parts.

This human had seen an Er’zet in its true form and lived to tell the tale.

>>>White

If it wasn’t so damn big, she would compare it to a pissed off cat.

The Impostor in front of her pressed into the wall above the vent, its many eyes flashing between her head and her heel as it tried to process the damage it had just been afflicted with. Likewise, she held the gun up at it with a steady hand to bar any funny business from happening. If it wasn’t for the fact that her life was currently in the balance, she might have stopped to examine the creature more than she usually did. They all looked the same to her; only the bare flesh had different hues, and only to a minimum that was hard to see with just the human eyes.

Whatever shock it was feeling was definitely starting to wear off as it hissed lowly at her, the vibrations reverberating in her bones. This was a predator, and it was not happy about being one upped by its prey. A few of its now poorly disguised body segments undulated, excess limbs rolling around under the false skin. The tentacles around it inched forward in synchrony, the teeth lining its mouth pulling up almost imperceptibly at her motionlessness.

What the  _ hell _ . Was this thing really smiling at her?

Suddenly, as if someone had pressed a fast forward button, all of its appendages sped forward and met full force with her body. Not missing a beat, Lilith squeezed her trigger hand and the scream of a bullet ripped through its body as she was sent flying to the wall.

The beast roared at her as the hole in its shoulder gushed blood, the volume of it splattering on the floor. It began stalking up to her prone form, fury nearly tangible but satisfaction quieting it at the spider webs cracking her visor from her impact. As much as these things were renowned killers, they never checked to see if a human was still kicking, and with Exterminators? It always bit them in the ass.

Staying as still as she could, Lilith shifted her feet flat to the wall. If she could get her helmet off, then she’d easily be able slide under him and prepare another assault. 

Classically predictable, the alien loomed over her prone body and brought its deadly tentacles down to force her helmet off. The latches gave way and cool air nipped at her nose, and the only downside? The lights shining above.

Squinting at the bright light, she let out her own hiss and tried refocusing her vision without the tinted visor to shield her sensitive eyes. 

Almost tauntingly, the Impostor leaned over her face and blotted out the light. The shadow it cast over her gave her full view once more, but the limbs of the creature were rapidly cutting off any chance she had of escaping. Just a little closer, however, and she’d be home free.

With a mighty push, Lilith slid across the floor and grabbed onto one of its fake ankles, using the momentum to swing around. Its response was fast, but she was faster. Using a small utility knife issued by the GSA, she made quick cuts up the back of its calf. 

However they mimicked human anatomy, they did it very well; in the next moment, its steps stuttered and its form fell just as a human would, tentacles rushing forward to break the fall. All sorts of noises spilled from it, annoyed growling taking up the forefront of its sound. 

Both parties stood up at the same time to face each other. Lilith was heavily winded, blood staining her hair and bits of glass stuck to her temple. Come the next morning, she’d no doubt have bruises and sore muscles occupying every inch of her body. In front of her, the Impostor seemed just as worn as she was. Blood still ran from its wounds, although significantly less flow seemed apparent. It was already healing, and she didn’t have the stun gun or time to snare it for Dr. Hartson’s experiments.

The razors lining its mouth pulled back to release an inhuman screech loud enough to shatter glass, its body language translating just how much it wanted to tear her apart where she stood, but being cautious of any other tricks she might have up her sleeve. She would take it down, too, if it weren’t for the fact that her gun was lying under its feet. Baring her teeth in response, she yelled at the thing in her own human roar.

“FUCK YOU!” The tentacles rippled and moved back for a moment before a new sound, one she’s personally never heard one of them make, comes out of its toothy cavern. Chirping, erupting at consistent intervals, accompanied by the shaking of its human shaped shoulders. Hell, even the arms move forward to hover over its stomach!

Before Lilith can mull over it, static leaks out of both of their comms.

“White, Cyan, wherever you two are we’re having a meeting in the Cafeteria. It’s nothing too important, Yellow just thinks it’s important that you know what happened before you got here.”

Still staring at the Impostor, Lilith almost physically deflates as it puts its tentacles and teeth away, falling back into its Crewmate disguise. A truce on the premises that if one were to die, the other would be ejected. Joy, she thought to herself. Now that he knew she packed heat, so would Yellow, and the game she had to play just became much more serious.

Motioning to the entryway of Electrical, Lilith waited for Cyan to exit the room. His visor pointed in her direction for a few moments as he left, an almost silent promise of whatever conflict that had just occurred was not over.

Picking up her gun, she inspected it to make sure there were no physical detriments to the weapon. An Exterminator without a functioning weapon was a sitting duck. Lilith would probably take it apart later to make sure none of the Impostor’s gunk congealed inside one of its many, complex parts.

The cheery chirup of a cleaning bot came into Electrical, already cleaning up any evidence of a fight.  _ Funny little space Roombas, _ she thought.

>>>Cyan

The thrill of a fight ran hot in his blood as he entered the Cafeteria, immediately being given a disapproving stare by Yellow. He would’ve taken offense, if it wasn’t for the fact that his pheromones were probably stifling the elder Er’zet’s smell. While it was initially embarrassing, his shame was quickly overrun by remembering the blows given by the human female. Yellow had no idea what he was missing out on, and maybe it should stay that way.

As the group seated and waited for White, Cyan fell deeper into his thoughts.

She didn’t stink of fear once in the fight, even with her back against the wall. In fact, she smelled rather confident. To put it bluntly, Cyan found it extremely attractive. Whether it was because of his approaching heat or if it was a nice change of pace from the average Crewmates, he couldn’t tell. The way she bared her teeth at him, the dispatch of his tykh’sa, the ability to keep up with and predict his moves, and not to mention the thought that if she had kept her weapon, his life would have easily been snuffed by her hand. Every detail stirred the baser half of his self, and he found himself remembering home.

He was never given the opportunity to seed a breeder, and it frustrated him a great deal. One reason or the next stopped him from accomplishing his biological goal to reach true adulthood, and it was in this recollection that he figured out just why this new human was so appealing.

Her fierce nature and quick wit was staunchly comparable to his own kind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *laughs in s l o w b u r n*


End file.
